Among the Hebrews were frequently significant; sometimes of a family trait, and sometimes of circumstances attending the birth of a child; often too they were assumed afterwards to commemorate some striking occurrence in one’s history. Compare the cases of Ishmael, Esau, and Jacob, Moses, Ichabod, etc., Genesis 16:16 25:25,26 Exodus 2:10 1 Samuel 4:21.

Compound names were frequent; and often a part of the name of God, JAH EL, JEHO, etc., was employed as in Eliezer, Exodus 18:4, Amuel, Josiah, Adonijah. Sometimes a whole phrase was formed into a name; as Elioneai, to Jehovah are mine eyes, 1 Chronicles 4:36. The New Testament names are chiefly ancient and family names perpetuated, Luke 1:61. The men of the East change their names for slight causes; and hence many persons occur in the Bible bearing tow or more names, Ruth 1:20 2 Samuel 23:8 John 1:42. Kings often changed the names of those to whom they gave offices, Daniel 1:6,7; hence the honor and privilege implied in a "new name," Revelation 2:17. Many slight inflections of the same Hebrew name give it a very different appearance to an English eye, as Geshem and Gashmu, Nehemiah 6:1,6.

A Hebrew name was sometimes transferred to the Greek, with but little change: Elijah became Elias, or Elie. But sometimes it was exchanged for the Greek word of the same meaning, though very different in form; Thomas became Didymus, and Tabitha, Dorcas. The "name" of God is put for God himself, or for his perfections. To "raise up the name of the dead," is explained in Ruth 4:1-22; while to "put out" one’s name, means to extinguish his family, Psalms 9:5.

Names of places . --These may be divided into two general classes --descriptive and historical. The former are such as mark some peculiarity of the locality, usually a natural one, e.g. Sharon, "plain" Gibeah, "hill;" Pisgah. "height." Of the second class of local names, some were given in honor of individual men, e.g. the city Enoch (Genesis 4:17) etc. More commonly, however, such names were given to perpetuate that memory of some important historic occurrence. Bethel perpetuated through all Jewish history the early revelations of God to Jacob. (Genesis 28:19; 35:15) So Jehovah-jireh, (Genesis 22:14) Mahanaim, (Genesis 32:2) Peniel etc. In forming compounds to serve as names of towns or other localities, some of the most common terms employed were Kir, a "wall" or "fortress;" Kirjath , "city;" En , "fountain;" Beer , "a well," etc. The names of countries were almost universally derived from the name of the first settlers or earliest historic population. Names of persons. --Among the Hebrews each person received hut a single name. In the case of boys this was conferred upon the eighth day, in connection with the rite of circumcision. (Luke 1:59) comp. Genesis17:5-14 To distinguish an individual from others of the same name it was customary to add to his own proper name that of his father or ancestors. Sometimes the mother’s was used instead. Simple names in Hebrew, as in all languages, were largely borrowed from nature; e.g. Deborah, "bee;" Tamar, "a palm tree;" Jonah, "dove." Many names of women were derived from those of men by change of termination; e.g. Hammelech. "the king;" Harnmoleketh, "the queen." The majority of compound names have special religious or social significance being compounded either (1) with terms denoting relationship, as Abi or Ab father, as Abihud, "father of praise," Abimelech "father of the king;" Ben son, as Benoni, "son of my sorrow," Benjamin, "son of the right hand;" or (2) nouns denoting natural life, as am, "people," melech "king;" or (3) with names of God and Jah or Ja , shortened from "Jehovah." As outside the circle of Revelation, particularly among the Oriental nations, it is customary to mark one’s entrance into a new relation by a new name, in which case the acceptance of the new name involves the acknowledgment of the sovereignty of the name giver, so the importance and new sphere assigned to the organs of Revelation in God’s kingdom are frequently indicated by a change of name. Examples of this are Abraham, (Genesis 17:5) Sarah, (Genesis 17:15) Israel, as the designation of the spiritual character in place of Jacob, which designated the natural character. (Genesis 32:28)